Just Curious
 

I enjoy looking at all of the pictures posted here. I am completely in awe of the quilts that have been hand quilted. I can not wrap my brain around the amount of time that goes into that. Has anyone kept track or can estimate the amount of time that goes into the quilt just on the hand quilting? and what size quilt? I have only hand quilted table runners.....and that took me forever....I didn't keep track of my time....maybe weeks, not sure.

Yes, it can be time consuming, but if you go into it concerned about the time it will take to finish it, you've pretty much defeated your purpose. Hand quilting is all about the joy of the process and the time it takes is so individual. It just depends on size and time put in as you observed. It's done when it's done.

I used to hand quilt, but due to arthritis can no longer....just too painful.

Annie
: )

As Annie68 says, it's the process. I've done reasonably sized baby quilts in less than a week - and not working on it all day/every day either. By the same token, I'm working on a lap quilt now and just can't seem to concentrate long enough to get much done on it. I've hand quilted queen size quilts that, depending on how heavily quilted, take from as little as 2-3 months to almost a year. Just depends. I like having something to do with my hands in the evenings while watching TV. I can machine piece daytime or other periods when DH is not home and hand quilt while we're spending time together.

Hand quilting to me is very satisfying but I would never do it with a deadline. I made one for my daughter in law (hand pieced and hand quilted) which she loves and it hangs in her house. I made a few smaller ones for people who appreciated them and I made one for our bed that was machine pieced and hand quilted. I say it took "years" because I would pick it up for a while and then put it away for a while. I guess if I worked on it on a regular basis it would have been done way sooner. But, I quilt for my own pleasure so there was no rush.

The last quilt I hand quilted was a large queen. I quilted on it every day, sometimes for quite long stretches and it took me 5 months. Once I begin I try not to look to see how much more there is to do. That can be discouraging. I learned that it is the journey that should be enjoyed. And what a satisfaction when it is all done!!!

I've taken as long as 2 years to complete a hand pieced, hand quilted project.....but so worth the time and effort......something to really be proud of accomplishing. BTW, I was working fulltime also.

One of my quilting friends just finished a fairly densely quilted double bed size (or a little smaller). She kept track of her time and it was over 800 hours.

I kept track of my time on a lonestar quilt that was kingsize and I had well over 200 hours. http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...lt-t22341.html

Handquilting a large quilt is a labor of love and you must enjoy the process. It is like eating an elephant, one bite at a time.

I have been a handquilter for almost 40 years. It is the part of quilting along with picking out the fabric that I love most. It is something I can do alone, with friends or while watching TV or a movie. I can carry on a conversation and if the project is small enough it is totally portable. I don't bother keeping track of the time involved, making the sandwhich and the binding, if it is from scratch, are the most cumbersome parts for me. I can finish a bed size quilt in a couple of months if I average at least a couple hours a day. Handquilting is something I can do while watching TV, listening to music or visiting with friends. If it is a small enough project I take it on vacation or even to guild meetings to occupy my hands. It makes a great conversation starter. Our foremothers regarded it has a plesant way to socialize while still providing comfort and warmth, for their famlies. It was also a way to express themselves artistically.
Don't worry about the time involved just get started.

Thank you for your insight....there have been many times I wanted to quilt but needed to spend time with the family....what a great project I could do any where. Maybe I will hand quilt my next throw sized quilt. I guess it really isn't a race to get it done, just enjoy the ride. :)

It took me over 600 hours to hand-quilt a silk GMFG quilt several years ago...I quilted 1/4 " inside of each hexagon...I think that's what finally drove me, irrevocably, to machine and LA quilting! Now I don't hand quilt a double for less than $1,000.00...and I get resentful about three-quarters of the way through with it. Oh, and it has to be an heirloom quilt for me to do it...:) Picky, yep!